Observation / Reflection #5: The Game of School In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
I have seen the Game of School played in every classroom I have ever been in. I have seen it in all of my placements, and in all of own my classes. While some classes are better than others, I find most of my own classes to be a battle to just to finish an absurd amount of work from which I learn nothing. I do assignments that I cannot find a shred of value in as far as real life application is concerned. Teachers often do little to even attempt to connect an assignment into something with real meaning. I am filled with theory and empty, disconnected content. I finish my class, I receive my grade, and I move along to the next semester. Even the classes and teachers that I have found inspiring over the years can seem boring and like a waste of time to others. The Game of School is being played in every class, every day.
In my placements this semester, the GOS is most evident in Middletown, where the teacher is also fully engaged in the game. She means well, and is certainly not a bad teacher. However it is clear she feels defeated by the restraints and requirements put upon her by the school itself. This creates a game within the Game. She can’t count homework for credit, so the students don’t do it. She tries to bribe them to do their homework by getting to use it on the quizzed. They still don’t do it. Since the administration won’t allow her to make homework count for anything, there is little she can do to force them to do it. If they fail, they take a course over the summer and get pushed through the system anyway. She does what she can, and I often hear “if the students don’t do their part, there’s only so much I can do.”
In Barringtion, my CT seems to be winning the game. His students are engaged and participate enthusiastically. They don’t object to critical thinking and love to debate about different topics. Almost all of them do their homework and my CT is very good at communicating the purpose of each assignment. But I have to wonder, are they just playing the game for the grade? It is very hard to tell in a system that seems to be working. Barrington is an affluent community with very involved parents that expect their students to succeed. This has to play a part in the GOS. I think the rules change depending on the location. The game played at one school can be very different at another.
There is nothing in my teaching philosophy that can stop the Game of School. Being fun and giving students options can be great ways to encourage students to engage. However, I am not foolish enough to think that I will ever get everyone on board with my mission. The game will be played no matter what I do. My hope is just to reduce it as much as possible by trying to make assignments relevant and interesting, and communicating the purpose of each lesson. There are so many times I go to a class and I leave thinking, “Why did we even bother doing that? What was the point?”. I think the why is important. If I can’t connect the importance of an activity or a lesson in the context of what I’m supposed to be learning, I won’t want to do it either. It just becomes another exercise in busywork. Another part of the game.
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
I have seen the Game of School played in every classroom I have ever been in. I have seen it in all of my placements, and in all of own my classes. While some classes are better than others, I find most of my own classes to be a battle to just to finish an absurd amount of work from which I learn nothing. I do assignments that I cannot find a shred of value in as far as real life application is concerned. Teachers often do little to even attempt to connect an assignment into something with real meaning. I am filled with theory and empty, disconnected content. I finish my class, I receive my grade, and I move along to the next semester. Even the classes and teachers that I have found inspiring over the years can seem boring and like a waste of time to others. The Game of School is being played in every class, every day.
In my placements this semester, the GOS is most evident in Middletown, where the teacher is also fully engaged in the game. She means well, and is certainly not a bad teacher. However it is clear she feels defeated by the restraints and requirements put upon her by the school itself. This creates a game within the Game. She can’t count homework for credit, so the students don’t do it. She tries to bribe them to do their homework by getting to use it on the quizzed. They still don’t do it. Since the administration won’t allow her to make homework count for anything, there is little she can do to force them to do it. If they fail, they take a course over the summer and get pushed through the system anyway. She does what she can, and I often hear “if the students don’t do their part, there’s only so much I can do.”
In Barringtion, my CT seems to be winning the game. His students are engaged and participate enthusiastically. They don’t object to critical thinking and love to debate about different topics. Almost all of them do their homework and my CT is very good at communicating the purpose of each assignment. But I have to wonder, are they just playing the game for the grade? It is very hard to tell in a system that seems to be working. Barrington is an affluent community with very involved parents that expect their students to succeed. This has to play a part in the GOS. I think the rules change depending on the location. The game played at one school can be very different at another.
There is nothing in my teaching philosophy that can stop the Game of School. Being fun and giving students options can be great ways to encourage students to engage. However, I am not foolish enough to think that I will ever get everyone on board with my mission. The game will be played no matter what I do. My hope is just to reduce it as much as possible by trying to make assignments relevant and interesting, and communicating the purpose of each lesson. There are so many times I go to a class and I leave thinking, “Why did we even bother doing that? What was the point?”. I think the why is important. If I can’t connect the importance of an activity or a lesson in the context of what I’m supposed to be learning, I won’t want to do it either. It just becomes another exercise in busywork. Another part of the game.